MetroPCS Communications Inc. posted limited third-quarter results, displaying strong growth and a year-over-year drop in customer churn. The carrier reported 249,265 net additions during the quarter, nearly double the 114,302 customers the carrier added during the same quarter last year. MetroPCS ended the third...
Hello! And welcome to our Thursday column, Worst of the Week. There's a lot of nutty stuff that goes on in this industry, so this column is a chance for us at RCRWireless.com to rant and rave about whatever rubs us the wrong way....
Editor's Note: This is one of a series of stories examining the current economic downturn and how it affects the wireless industry. For more on this topic, visit RCRWireless.com/EconomicDownturn.Industry CEOs have been hopping between company conferences to boast their business and assure investors that...
It's become quite clear which technology the top four carriers have sided with in the next-generation debate between WiMAX and Long Term Evolution. Sprint Nextel Corp. is the lone supporter for WiMAX; Verizon Wireless and AT&T Mobility Inc. made public their plans to deploy...
Last week's upheaval in the financial markets certainly will impact the wireless industry, but in what ways and to what extent remains to be seen. Smaller startups may have a more difficult time getting credit or finding backers, and larger players may postpone some...
T-Mobile USA Inc. said government testing revealed interference from operations in a spectrum block that Federal Communications Commission Chairman Kevin Martin wants to auction for wireless broadband and that is situated adjacent to wireless licenses for which the No. 4 cellular carrier paid $4.2...
The following list includes ratings changes and financial information for wireless companies announced this week by investment-banking and financial-services firms.Carrier--Credit Suisse First Boston lowered its rating on Vodafone Group to neutral from outperform, saying it believes the company is likely to slightly miss its...
As several tropical storms threatened various sections of the nation, the Federal Communications Commission took action to prompt Bush administration and court review of a backup power rule maligned by the wireless and tower sectors.The FCC on Thursday sent the backup power rule -...
Losing customers is something that makes carriers' toes curl and stomachs churn; it's what you call "bad for business." Traditionally the industry's top-tier carriers manage to keep their churn around 2% or less per month thanks to their substantial postpaid customer bases. Smaller carriers...
MetroPCS Communications Inc. expanded the distribution of its phones and services with an agreement with Best Buy Mobile. The deal covers locations in 14 markets. The retailer currently offers four of MetroPCS' no-contract devices and also carries phones from the carrier's competitors including Virgin...
With the U.S. economy in a lull, many businesses suffer. Wireless, however, still thrives. And as the top four carriers continue to get stronger and hungrier, it could become a game of Pac-Man; big guys eating the little guys. Analysts and research firms have...
The following list includes ratings changes and financial information for wireless companies announced this week by investment-banking and financial-services firms.Carrier--Lehman Brothers dropped its estimates on Leap Wireless based on predictions of continued elevated spending levels as the carrier invests in new markets, broadband and...
The companies listed below represent the ten largest national and regional licensed wireless carriers based on subscriber numbers at the end of the second quarter of this year.
Once again, there was no movement among the top 10 carriers. AT&T continued to rank No. 1...
Lately in the land of red, white and blue, people are talking a lot about green, including wireless service providers. In an industry that boasts 263 million subscribers who get a heap of stuff with their service, carriers can have a large carbon footprint....
The following list includes ratings changes and financial information for wireless companies announced this week by investment-banking and financial-services firms.Carrier--RBC Capital Markets raised its price target on Leap Wireless to $49 from $45 after the carrier reported strong second-quarter subscriber growth. R.W. Baird lowered...
MetroPCS Communications Inc. plans to hitch its 4G plans to Long Term Evolution technology. Following in the footsteps of other CDMA carriers, MetroPCS said during its second quarter conference call that it would use LTE for its 4G network technology. Verizon Wireless, Alltel Communication...
Just like Ronald Reagan claimed with his trickle-down economic plan, wireless customers are beginning to see unlimited offerings filter down to cheaper price points and in some cases to offerings that do not require a cumbersome contract.Last week Tracfone Wireless Inc. subsidiary Net10 jumped...
Verizon Wireless is smart to quickly agree to sell off wireless properties in 85 markets where it overlaps with Alltel Communications L.L.C. assets in order to try to speed approval of its plan to buy the nation's No. 5 carrier for $28 billion. Verizon...
Regional wireless operator MetroPCS Communications Inc. topped the rankings in the latest customer-satisfaction study of prepaid users from J.D. Power and Associates.The Dallas-based carrier performed particularly well in five out of seven categories, the market research firm said, including cost of service, account management,...
Nextwave Wireless Inc. sold nearly two-thirds of its advanced wireless services spectrum for $150.1 million. The spectrum went to four different buyers. The largest chunk landed in the hands of T-Mobile USA Inc. for roughly $98 million. The deal gives Nextwave a tidy profit...
Verizon Wireless, positioning itself to regain the top spot in the mobile-phone industry, agreed to initial divestiture requirements by the Department of Justice and offered roaming concessions in hopes of winning government approval of its proposed $28 billion purchase of Alltel Communications L.L.C. But...
The following list includes ratings changes and financial information for wireless companies announced this week by investment-banking and financial-services firms.Carrier--Standard & Poor's Ratings Services upgraded MetroPCS to B from B- with a stable outlook. "The upgrade reflects the company's improving financial leverage," said Standard...
MetroPCS Communications Inc. has found an assistant to help them assist customers. The carrier selected Verizon LiveSource to provide directory assistance services to its subscribers.LiveSource, a directory assistance channel of Verizon Communications Inc., signed a multi-year and multi-million dollar contract with the regional wireless...
Private equity's avid interest in Huawei Technologies Co. Ltd.'s handset business is based on Huawei's opportunities for significant growth and as a means to further investment in China, analysts said last week. Huawei has a chance to profit from domestic Chinese wireless growth and...
